Serita
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "serene" or "peaceful".
Name Census estimates that about 1,003 living Americans carry the first name Serita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Serita today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Serita births was 1982 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Serita. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 341,729 Americans
Peak year
1982
47 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2002 SSA rank
#17,629
Tracked since 1935
Census
Serita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,043 people with the first name Serita, which placed it at #12,065 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,065
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,043 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
59.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Serita is Black at 59.6%. The next largest groups are White (26.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Serita described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Serita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.6% · 622
- White26.8% · 280
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 62
- Two or more races3.6% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 13
Popularity
Serita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Serita from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 287 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Serita by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Serita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Seritas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Illinois, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Serita, while Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Serita
The name Serita is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was the classical language of the Indian subcontinent. It is thought to be a feminine form of the Sanskrit word "siri," meaning "prosperity" or "glory." The name's roots can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where it was sometimes used as a reference to the Hindu goddess of wealth and fortune, Lakshmi.
In ancient Indian history, the name Serita was occasionally documented as being bestowed upon daughters born into royal or wealthy families, symbolizing the parents' hopes for their child's prosperous future. However, the earliest recorded use of the name is scarce, as recordkeeping practices in ancient times were often inconsistent.
One of the earliest known historical figures bearing the name Serita was a 7th-century Indian poet and scholar from the Kingdom of Kamarupa, located in present-day Assam, India. Her literary works, although now lost, were reportedly celebrated for their poetic mastery and philosophical insights.
During the medieval period, the name Serita gained popularity among certain Indian communities, particularly in the southern regions. Notable figures from this era include Serita Devi, a 12th-century queen consort of the Chola Empire, renowned for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in court affairs.
In more recent history, Serita Patel (1907-1992) was an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement against British rule. Her nonviolent resistance efforts and advocacy for women's rights earned her recognition and respect across India.
Another notable figure was Serita Jha (1925-2008), a pioneering Indian journalist and author who made significant contributions to the field of investigative reporting. Her fearless exposés and unwavering commitment to truth-telling earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Padma Shri award from the Government of India.
Finally, Serita Khanna (1946-2018) was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for her mastery of the Kathak dance form. Her performances and teachings helped preserve and promote this ancient art form, earning her widespread acclaim both nationally and internationally.
People
Serita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Serita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Serita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Serita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,003 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Serita going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 341,729 US residents.
Is Serita a common name?
We classify Serita as "Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,196 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Serita most popular?
The single biggest year for Serita was 1982, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Serita is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Serita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,043 people with the name Serita, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,065 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Serita in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Serita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Serita appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,034 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Serita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Serita is Black at 59.6%. The next largest groups are White (26.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Serita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Serita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (622 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Serita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Serita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Serita in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Serita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Serita in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Serita can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Serita?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.